When it comes to children of divorce, as hard as it may be, you don’t want the holidays to be a time that they dread.

“Yeah, the holidays have a rich tradition with my family. It’s when Mom and Dad argue over every possible thing and always put me in the middle so that I get so tense I get have my annual holiday anxiety rash.”

We all want it to be a special time. But because the holidays are freighted with emotion, nostalgia and guilt, they can be tough to navigate. When parents are living in separate homes – often not getting along – conflicts severely dampen that festive spirit, and a vindictive spouse can quickly turn what is supposed to be a happy time into one of true unpleasantness and stress.